Electrical control for engraving machines



Aug. 5, 1924. v 1,503,733

U. M. WARMOTH ELECTRICAL CONTROL FOR ENGRAVING MACHINES Filed April 13, 1922 =1L mm I N V EN TOR.

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Patented Aug. 5, 1924.

EE TE URCY M. WARMOTH, 0F INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

ELECTRICAL CONTROL FOR ENG-HAVING MACHINES.

Application filed April 13, 1922. Serial No. 552,434.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Unor M. Cinnro'rn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Controls for Engraving Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electrical control for engraving machines, and the prime fea ture of the invention is the provision of means for electrically controlling the raising and lowering of the engraving point coincident to the raising and lowering of the tracing arm.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of means for connecting an electric circuit to the tracing point used for tracing outlines on the master plate which, when brought into engagement with the master plate, will form a circuit through a magnet and instantly release the engraving point and permit it to move into engagement with the plate to be engraved, the engraving point remaining in lowered position so long as the tracing point is energized.

And a further features of the invention is the provision of means for controlling the circuit to the tracing point.

' ther objects and advantages will be here inafter more fully set forth and pointed out in the accompanying specification.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure l is a perspective view of'an engraving machine showing the manner of manually controlling the tracing arm and the manner of electrically operating the engraving point,

Figure is an enlarged detail sectional view through the magnet and {parts for controlling the engraving point,

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the lower end of the tracing arm showing the manner of connecting an elec tric circuit to the tracing point, and

Figure i is a view of a slightly modified form of tracing point.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates a cabinet or table upon which is mounted a standard :2 of a prescribed form of engraving machine upon which is mounted a lever 3 carrying at one end an engraving point 4, the opposite end of the lever being pivoted in a yoke 5, so that the lever 3 may readily swing in a vertical plane. A platform 6 is also mounted upon the mechanism of the engraving machine carried by the standard and is so located that a plate or other object to be engraved will be supported directly below the engraving point 4. Swivelly connected at its upper end to the parts of the engraving machine supported by the standard is a tracing arm 7, to the lower end of which is attached a socket 8, and in said socket is a tracing point 9, said tracing point being adapted to co-operate with characters formed on a master plate 10, which master plate is carried by the cabinet or table 1, the parts of the engraving.mechanism being so constructed that when the tracing point is moved over the outlines of the characters on the master plate, such characters will be engraved on an additional plate by the en graving point 4.

It has been the custom heretofore to manually release the lever 3 incident to the positioning of the tracing point 9 onto the master plate so that the engraving point at will descend by gravity onto the plate to be engraved, and the tracing arm is operated by the hands of the attendant while the lever 3 is released by applying pressure of the foot onto a pedal. This operation, how ever, is necessarily uncertain and frequently results in inferior work owing to the fact that the pressure of the foot has to be maintained at all times while the engraving op eration is being performed To overcome this objectionable {feature the'usual form of foot pedal is dispensed with and the shaft 11 employed for elevating the lever 3 associated with a magnet- 12, the lower end of the shaft 11 being connected with an armature 13 which projects through a housing 14 and in position to be attracted by the core 15 of the magnet. The magnet 12 is energized by extending wires 16 from the magnet to the tracing point 9, a plug 17 being extended through one wall of the socket S and through the upper end of the tracing point. The master plate l( is likewise connected to a source of electrical energy through wires 18, consequently when the tracing point 9 is lowered into engagement with the master plate, a circuit will be formed through the plate and tracing point and the magnet 12 energized, which will attract the armature 13 and move the shaft 11 downwardly and the foot 19 at the upper end of the shaft 11, out of engagement with the lever 3, whereupon the end of the lever carrying the engraving point 4 Will descend by gravity and rest the engraving point upon a plate or other object to be engraved, and so long as the tracing point remains in engagement with the master plate the magnet will be energized and the shaft 11 held in its lowered position.

As soon as the tracing point is elevated out of engagement with the master plate 10 the circuit through the magnet 12 will be broken, whereupon the shaft 11 will be elevated by the pressure of a spring 20, the upward movement of the shaft again engaging the foot 19 with the lever 3 and causing said lever to swing upwardly, the tension of the spring holding the lever in its ele vatec position until such time as the magnet 12 is again energized. F or convenience of controlling the current to the master plate, any suitable form of switch 21 may be connected to the wires 18 for making or breaking the circuit therethrough, and said switch is preferably placed in convenient reach of the operator.

The tracing arm 7 and point 9 carried thereby are manually operated and controlled by placing a yoke 22 loosely around the tracing arm, said yoke having oppositely extending handles 23 to be grasped by the hands of the operator and through the medium of which the point 9 may be guided over the outlines of the characters on the master plate, or lifted out of engagement therewith. The yoke 22 is pivotally. attached to the tracing arm, preferably by passing a screw 24 transversely through the yoke and arm, consequently, owing to the loose fitof the yoke around the arm, the handles may have vertical swinging movement and remain in substantially horizontal position at whatever angle the tracing arm may extend.

In Figure 4 of the drawings a slightly modified structure is shown and when this form of device is used the switch 21 is dispensed with and any suitable form of switch 25 attached to one of the handles 26 employed, for controlling th action of the tracing point 27. In this form of construc tion an electric wire 28 is extended from the switch 25 to the tracing point 27, so that when the tracing point is in engagement being performed and by placing the switch directly on one of the handles 26 it will cut out thereby instantly indicating to the.

operator that the magnet is not being energized.

By electrically controlling the lever'oarrying the engraving point, th requirement of two operations for placing the tracing point inengagement with the master plate.

and the engraving point in engagement with the plate to be engraved is obviated as the attendant may give his entire atten tion to th positioning of the tracing point onto the master plate and then tracing the design of the characters thereon, as the magnet will automatically control the lowering of the engraving point.

Furthermore, the possibility of marring.

the engraved work, as when the'attendant removes the. tracing arm and fails to release th engraving point, is entirely obviated as the engraving point is instantly elevated upon the breaking of the circuit between the tracing point and master plate.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a device of the character described,

a tracing arm, a socket removably attached to one end of said tracing arm, a tracing point entered in said socket, a plug extending transversely through said socketand tracing point whereby the tracing point is secured within the socket and in electrical contact therewith, substantially as setforth. 2. In a device of the character described having an engraving point and a tracing arm provided with a handle attached adjacent the end thereof, a tracing point carried by the said arm, a switch carried bysaid handle, an electrical connection between said switch and said engraving point and an electrical. circuit and mechanical mechanism controlled by said switch for raising and lowering said engraving point. substantially as set forth. I In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 8th day of April, A. D. nineteen hundred and twenty-two.

URCY M. lVARMOTl-l.

Witnesses 7 CAREY S. FRYE,

M. L. SHULER.

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